Musky Shop NorthWood's Lake of the Month: Ike Walton Lake
This month, representing the finest the Northwood's has to offer for scenic beauty is Ike Walton Lake, sitting slightly North East of Lac de Flambeau. For our lake features, we like to offer up some of the lesser fished and known lakes of the area to promote further tourism and exploration by fisherfolk in need of new and exciting waters.
Ike Walton Lake is about 30 minutes slightly North West of Musky Shop giving an ample taste of what the Northwood's has to offer with a drive through the downtown areas of Minocqua followed by scenic highways near lakes and forests. Surprisingly Ike Walton Lake does NOT feature a host of cabin rentals or lodges, so travelers will have to be on the lookout for nearby lodgings and dining as the Ike Walton Shoreline remains pristine with few houses on the South end and beautiful forest and nature to the North. Despite almost zero online information available, you can find a t-shirt from UK Amazon, so someone has a great time here!
There are some lovely resorts on neighboring White Sand Lake if you are seeking a place to stay. For a rustic retreat, we can recommend Zelm's White Sand Lake Resort or for a more contemporary option try Dillman's Resort. While in the area, locals and regular tourists recommend dinner at Hornwinkel's Bear Stube for a taste of the local food and flair. White Ike Walton Lake remains a tranquil retreat, there are plenty of family entertainment options and shopping in the local towns nearby.
Ike Walton Lake is a great sized lake for exploration. At 1417 acres, with a max depth of 61 feet, the lake is large enough to provide you with an immersive experience. The lake provides shelter for all of the major forage fish if you are looking for some rod bending action with walleye, bass or panfish, but mostly anglers treking to the North are encouraged by the musky population. Ike Walton Lake has been known to give up some lovely trophy musky as it's off the beaten path and little is published about it's local lore.
Recent quality studies have determined that Ike Walton Lake also carries no invasive species according to locals and wildlife management so the lake is incredibly well self managed. The bottom is a mix of sand, rock, and mud. The edges are lined with thick areas of vegetation, so make sure you bring some weedless tackle to get in deep to locate those predators. Musky Shop recommends dive & rise lures like Titans and Suicks to really fish those 5' areas and single hook weedless spinnerbaits like Figure 8 spinners. There are a few deep bowl-shaped basins on the west side of the lake that would be great for a trolling pass of the dropoffs to find a musky or two. Try the free website view at iboating for a great Ike Walton Lake Depth Chart.
This lake has plenty of depth variation so pay attention to your lake chart to locate the deeper weed edges even though you might feel like you are in open water, the structure is changing underneath. Hot colored baits might put you in the target zone for a great sized musky. There are numbers and trophies alike to be caught here, but remember the vibe is relaxed so please don't buzz the locals. The single remote public launch is on the west side of the lake and last known condition is pretty good with sand. Don't expect anything fancy but you can get the job done with 4 wheel drive.
As always, these recommendations come with a reminder to practice catch and release for our favorite target so that we protect the species and keep other anglers coming back for muskies as they mature and grow. The forage fish are clean are great for keeping your bellies full. If you decide to make your trek to Ike Walton Lake this year, remember to report back to the Musky Shop and let us know about your trip.